MIT Media Lab spinoff Augmental, an innovative hardware startup focused on creating human-first experiences that enhance everyday interactions with digital devices and interfaces, today announces the launch of the MouthPad^ — a groundbreaking innovation that allows people to control devices purely through the movement of their tongue. The hardware company's first device aims to push the boundaries of hands-free computing making technology more human.

As a fully bespoke, smart intra-oral interface, customized to the user's mouth with the ability to connect to several personal devices, this cutting-edge product is set to usher in a new frontier for hands-free technology.

By tapping into the under-explored interactive potential of the tongue, the MouthPad^ is part of an exciting new wave of accessible tech products set to emerge from Silicon Valley. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.3 billion people – or 16% of the global population – experience a significant disability today, which constitutes the disability community as one of the world's largest underserved groups. According to a study by the CDC, nearly 1 in 50 people live with paralysis, or approximately 5.4 million people.

While eye-tracking technology, 'pure' voice assistance, and even lip-controlled joysticks all offer degrees of hands-free access to the digital world, users can be left frustrated, fatigued, or with damage to their teeth. There is a clear need for more technological innovation regarding how we control current and forthcoming digital devices without our hands.

"As our lives become increasingly intertwined with technology, and the world expands from the physical to the digital, it's more important than ever to ensure that everyone has equal access to control inputs and new interfaces," said Tomás Vega, Co-Founder and engineer at Augmental. "Interactions with these systems must be designed to cater to how humans perceive, process, and act."

Led by principles of universal design and inclusivity, Augmental launched an R&D program focusing on the needs of people with limited hand control. By working with the disability community, Augmental gained invaluable insights that helped inform the development of the device. The goal is to scale up the MouthPad^ so that it can be used by the broadest possible audience, allowing people to carry out everyday tasks hands-free and enjoy digital control with greater ease and independence.

"Universal design has the power to greatly expand digital access for everyone, not just those lacking mobility. In exploring hands-busy scenarios and contexts in which users have limited hand control, we have developed an in-mouth platform that enables convenient device interaction today, while also setting the stage for a future of more human and less distracting heads-up displays," said Corten Singer, Co-Founder and engineer at Augmental. "Our technology should meet us where we are — not the other way around."

Though the MouthPad^ has been found to address relevant needs for people with quadriplegia and limited hand control, its reach extends beyond these cases as assisting those in 'hands-busy' scenarios to enhance productivity and performance of surgeons, gamers, astronauts, lab technicians, factory-line workers, etc. When it comes to how this technology could be applied — and improved — the possibilities are endless, especially as the promise of augmented reality approaches.

"It is very exciting to see this technology becoming widely available, not only because it can empower millions of differently-abled individuals, but also because as digital access becomes ever more important in our lives, there will be a need for novel, more seamlessly integrated methods for device interaction. I applaud the Augmental team for exploring creative new opportunities." Pattie Maes, MIT Media Lab Professor and director of the Fluid Interfaces Group.

How it Works

Designed to allow users to speak freely and perform other actions in parallel, the MouthPad^ is complementary to alternative technology such as voice control, allowing people to seamlessly switch between tongue-driven screen navigation and speech without the need for surgery.

"In my previous roles, I worked on invasive implants for brain-computer interfaces, and I realized that these innovations were going to help a lot of people. But in talking with friends who would most benefit from these technologies, I realized that most of them wouldn't undergo a surgical procedure in order to interact with computers," said Vega.

The MouthPad^ harnesses the innate dexterity of the tongue — considered by Augmental as "the 11th finger." The device converts the user's tongue position and pressure into cursor actions by processing signals through a machine-learning algorithm inside its processor. The commands are then sent via Bluetooth to the connected device and translated into cursor movements and clicks, allowing the user to do everything from simply sending an email or turning on the lights, to editing a photo or playing a video game.

Each device is fully personalized to the user through a process of intra-oral scanning that generates a 3D model of the mouth. Using this model, a custom device is designed and printed with dental resin. This perfectly fits the individual's mouth and encapsulates a flexible circuit board with sensors, a processing unit, and a Bluetooth radio — all sealed in a watertight casing with an innovative technique to protect the electronics from saliva. This "wet touchpad" - smart enough to deal with issues introduced by saliva and other liquids - in combination with the fact that it can connect with several devices via Bluetooth, makes the MouthPad^ a game-changing piece of technology.

"I'm motivated about augmenting human ability, and interested in using technology to overcome all the limitations of the way we are born," said Vega.

Compatibility

MouthPad^ connects via Bluetooth to iOS and Android smartphones, Windows, Mac, and Linux-based desktop and laptop computers. The MouthPad^ works in parallel with existing accessibility and control features on these devices and within their operating systems.

About Augmental

MIT Media Lab spinoff Augmental, is an innovative hardware startup focused on creating human-first experiences that enhance everyday interactions with digital devices and interfaces. The team's first product is the MouthPad^, a tongue-controlled touchpad designed to explore the digital world hands-free.

The MouthPad^ aims to improve interactions with smartphones, tablets, computers, IoT, and more with a customized Bluetooth controller worn across the roof of your mouth. The MouthPad^ is a smart dental retainer that enables wireless computer control using just your tongue, providing expressive hands-free interaction that is invisible to the world, yet always available to you.

Beyond helping people with limited hand-motor control, the MouthPad^ allows anybody to fluently interact with computers without using their hands, whether in industrial settings such as surgery, labs, and factories, or for leisure, such as when using wearables such as audio and visual AR interfaces.

Today the odds remain stacked against cybersecurity professionals. Too often, they fight an asymmetric battle against prolific, relentless and sophisticated attackers. To protect their organizations, defenders must respond to threats that are often hidden among noise. Compounding this challenge is a global shortage of skilled security professionals, leading to an estimated 3.4 million openings in the field.

To overcome these challenges, new technologies must be continually developed to tip the scales in favor of defenders. With the rapid advancements in AI, organizations are applying the technology to various use cases, empowering security professionals to drive innovation and disrupt attackers' traditional advantages.

As the world welcomes a new era of security, Microsoft is taking a significant step forward by combining its leading security technologies with the latest advancements in AI. At the inaugural Microsoft Secure event on 28 March, Microsoft introduced the Microsoft Security Copilot – shaped by the power of OpenAI's GPT-4 generative AI to revolutionize the field of cybersecurity.

Security Copilot — end-to-end defense at machine speed and scale

Microsoft Security Copilot is the first security product to enable defenders to move at the speed and scale of AI. Security Copilot combines this advanced large language model (LLM) with a security-specific model from Microsoft.

Dennis Chung, Chief Technology Officer, Microsoft Singapore, shared, "The rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape demands that organizations continuously strengthen and maintain their security measures to effectively combat increasingly sophisticated threats and ensure the safety of their people and business. Our Microsoft Security Copilot brings the power of AI to individuals to drive innovation and scale at pace, as they create a secure digital environment for all. "

This security-specific model in turn incorporates a growing set of security-specific skills and is informed by Microsoft's unique global threat intelligence and more than 65 trillion daily signals. Security Copilot also delivers an enterprise-grade security and privacy-compliant experience as it runs on Azure's hyperscale infrastructure.

When Security Copilot receives a prompt from a security professional, it uses the full power of the security-specific model to deploy skills and queries that maximize the value of the latest large language model capabilities. And this is unique to a security use-case. Microsoft's cyber-trained model adds a learning system to create and tune new skills. Security Copilot then can help catch what other approaches might miss and augment an analyst's work. In a typical incident, this boost translates into gains in the quality of detection, speed of response and ability to strengthen security posture.

Security Copilot doesn't always get everything right. AI-generated content can contain mistakes. But Security Copilot is a closed-loop learning system, which means it's continually learning from users and giving them the opportunity to give explicit feedback with the feedback feature that is built directly into the tool. As we continue to learn from these interactions, we are adjusting its responses to create more coherent, relevant and useful answers.

Security Copilot also integrates with the end-to-end Microsoft Security products, and over time it will expand to a growing ecosystem of third-party products. So, in short, Security Copilot is not only a large language model, but rather a system that learns, to enable organizations to truly defend at machine speed.

Microsoft believes that security is a team sport, and that security should be built with privacy at the core. With security teams in mind, Microsoft built the Security Copilot to ensure that data stays with the control of each user. It is not used to train the foundation AI models, and in fact, it is protected by the most comprehensive enterprise compliance and security controls. While remaining private, each user interaction can be easily shared with other team members to accelerate incident response, collaborate more effectively on complex problems and develop collective skills.

Technology that elevates human strengths

Human creativity and knowledge will always be imperative for defense. Security Copilot can augment security professionals with machine speed and scale, so human ingenuity is deployed where it matters most. In delivering this experience, the following principles guide Microsoft in driving innovation that empowers everyone:

1 Simplify the complex.

In security, minutes count. With Security Copilot, defenders can respond to security incidents within minutes instead of hours or days. Security Copilot delivers critical step-by-step guidance and context through a natural language-based investigation experience that accelerates incident investigation and response. The ability to quickly summarize any process or event and tune reporting to suit a desired audience frees defenders to focus on the most pressing work.

2 Catch what others miss.

Attackers hide behind noise and weak signals. Defenders can now discover malicious behavior and threat signals that could otherwise go undetected. Security Copilot surfaces prioritized threats in real time and anticipates a threat actor's next move with continuous reasoning based on Microsoft's global threat intelligence. Security Copilot also comes with skills that represent the expertise of security analysts in areas such as threat hunting, incident response and vulnerability management.

3 Address the talent gap.

A security team's capacity will always be limited by the team's size and the natural limits of human attention. Security Copilot boosts your defenders' skills with its ability to answer security-related questions – from the basic to the complex. Security Copilot continually learns from user interactions, adapts to enterprise preferences, and advises defenders on the best course of action to achieve more secure outcomes. It also supports learning for new team members as it exposes them to new skills and approaches as they develop. This enables security teams to do more with less, and to operate with the capabilities of a larger, more mature organization.

Unrivaled security capabilities

With Security Copilot, the agility advantage is being restored to defenders by combining Microsoft's leading security technologies with the latest advancements in AI. By working with Security Copilot, organizations get access to an unrivaled depth and breadth of security AI capabilities, including:

1 Ongoing access to the most advanced OpenAI models to support the most demanding security tasks and applications

2 A security-specific model that benefits from continuous reinforcement, learning and user feedback to meet the unique needs of security professionals;

3 Visibility and evergreen threat intelligence powered by your organization's security products and the 65 trillion threat signals Microsoft sees every day to ensure that security teams are operating with the latest knowledge of attackers, their tactics, techniques, and procedures;

4 Integration with Microsoft's end-to-end security portfolio for a highly efficient experience that builds on the security signals;

5 A growing list of unique skills and prompts that elevate the expertise of security teams and set the bar higher for what is possible even under limited resources.

Delivering security AI in a responsible way

Without a doubt, AI will transform how organizations around the world interact with security technologies. To achieve their highest potential, security AI solutions must be delivered in a safe, secure and responsible way. With Security Copilot, Microsoft reinforces its commitment to impactful and responsible AI practices by innovating responsibly, empowering others, and fostering positive impact.

The cornerstone of this work is Microsoft's commitment to how Security Copilot handles user data:

1 Your data is your data. It's yours to own and control, and yours to choose how you want to leverage and monetize.

2 Your data is not used to train or enrich foundation AI models used by others – no one beyond your organization is benefiting from AI trained on your data or business processes.

3 Your data and AI models are protected at every step by the most comprehensive enterprise compliance and security controls in the industry.

The new era of security

At Microsoft, we believe that security is ultimately about people. With Security Copilot, Microsoft is building a future where every defender is empowered with the technologies and expertise that enable them to reach their full potential. Technology will play an essential role on this journey, but successful security is, and will continue to be, a human endeavor.

The new Philips monitor, 45B1U6900CH, is now available to the public with an aim to facilitate workflow. The Philips 45B1U6900CH is equipped with a large, 44.5-inch (113 cm. diagonal) screen with 5120 x 1440 resolution and several other features that are designed to aid professionals' multitasking, such as: a 5MP webcam, USB-C docking with RJ45, a 32:9 SuperWide screen, and a curved display with viewing angles of 178/178 degrees.

Increasing Workflow Productivity

Instead of having two separate monitors, the Philips 45B1U6900CH's 44.5-inch screen and 32:9 SuperWide ratio allows professionals to easily open multiple windows and have an extra-wide perspective for viewing video content. In addition, the monitor's Curved VA Display produces wide, 178/178-degree viewing angles and 1500R curvature for crisp, high-contrast imagery and an overall more immersive experience.

"We are very happy to announce the release of the Philips 45B1U6900CH," Kevin Wu, General Manager of MMD Singapore, said. "The screen's size and ratio together with the additional features, like docking and the noise-canceling webcam, make it an ideal choice for those who have really high expectations of their monitor."

A 5MP Webcam for a Better Video Conferencing Experience

In addition to its large screen, another key asset for optimal productivity is the Philips 45B1U6900CH's pop-up 5MP webcam. Optimized for a better video experience, the monitor is equipped with a noise-canceling microphone and a built-in 5MP webcam for high-quality meeting calls.

In addition to a better experience, the pop-up 5MP webcam also aids individual productivity with Windows Hello™; the advanced sensors for facial recognition logs each user into their Windows accounts within seconds.

Additional Features for Philips 45B1U6900CH

Another important feature to note for making your workspace better is the USB-C Docking with RJ45. With this docking system, professionals are able to connect to the network with RJ45, set up USB-C 100W power delivery to their connected device, experience high-resolution video output, and connect an external device for high-speed data transfer.

In addition to USB-C docking, the Philips 45B1U6900CH also has many other features that can help professionals complete their daily tasks. These include, but are not limited to: Display HDR 400 for VESA certified, high-quality coloring on screen, a headphone hook for easy stowage, and MultiClient Integrated KVM for controlling a two PC setup on the same monitor. Not to mention, the monitor's TUV Rheinland Eyesafe RPF 50 certification ensures protection against blue light-induced eye strain with its ever-present blue light filter on the display.

For professionals aiming to boost workflow productivity, the Philips 45B1U6900CH monitor is ideal for meeting those needs. The monitor will be available for purchase starting April and product availability may vary by country.

Omnichat as a leading omni-channel chat commerce solution provider, launches "Omni AI" - a new chatbot integrated with ChatGPT 3.5. The integration has created seamless communications with artificial intelligence across multiple messaging platforms covering WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, LINE. Leveraging the most advanced AI language model, Omni AI serves as a digital assistant of retailers to handle customers' enquiry, recommend products as well as facilitate marketing campaign planning with automated customer support, marketing and sales service.

Omnichat launches AI Chatbot integrated with ChatGPT, applying in WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram & LINE with automated customer service, marketing and sales.

Achieving 300% Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) growth in the past three consecutive years, Omnichat empowers 5,000+ companies around the globe including OSIM, Timberland, Logitech, Sa Sa, Venchi, Eu Yan Sang, etc. In 2022, the company helped retailers generate US$600 million in Gross Merchandise Value, which was a 230% YoY growth. Daily active social messenger users through Omnichat reached 23 million and the conversion rate facilitated by Omnichat was 500% higher than the average of eShop.

The incorporation of ChatGPT into Omnichat's all-in-one messaging platform marks a significant development in transforming customer engagement through AI-powered chatbots. "With its conversational capabilities, Omni AI is more capable to understand the preference of customers and facilitate retailers to generate higher conversions across multiple messaging platforms," Alan Chan, Founder & CEO of Omnichat remarked. "Combing with our online-merge-offline sales solution and customer journey which pair with revenue tracking across online and offline channels, we are excited to see how Omni AI can further enable retailers to drive revenue growth to the next level."

With a presence in Asia Pacific, Omnichat is planning to expand to global markets within this year. The team grows 5 times from 2022 to over 100 staff now. The company is looking for the next round of funding. "With the power of OpenAI's ChatGPT technology, we aim to develop the first US$10 billion SaaS company in Asia in future," Alan said.

Founded in 2017, Omnichat is an omni-channel chat commerce solution provider that centralises customers' conversations from WhatsApp Business Platform, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, LINE, WeChat and website live chat into a single platform to enhance efficiency.

Leveraging online-merge-offline(OMO) sales integration, marketing automation, chatbots as well as customer service platform, Omnichat is committed to empowering brands to deliver personalised shopping experience and drive smart retail transformation.